AUS Utes: Series Adelaide Sunday report

Miedecke and Gray take V8 Ute 10th year Legends Podium
David Sieders is the toast of the V8 Ute town after scoring a stunning
overall Championship points win in Round One of the 2010 Yokohama V8 Ute
Racing Series - protected by Armor All at the...

Miedecke and Gray take V8 Ute 10th year Legends Podium

David Sieders is the toast of the V8 Ute town after scoring a stunning
overall Championship points win in Round One of the 2010 Yokohama V8 Ute
Racing Series - protected by Armor All at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide
today.

However it was NASCAR development driver George Miedecke and team mate
Jeremy Gray who won the 10th Year celebration feature event. Miedecke
and Gray claimed the 3 race legend format from Andrew Fisher/Rick
Bates in the Jesus All About Life Ford, with Sieders and FPV General
Manager Rod Barrett 3rd overall. It was a sweet victory for Miedecke,
whose father Andrew had won the Touring Car Masters finale only moments
before, and also teamed with Jack Elsegood for a top 3 series finish for
the weekend.

Sieders ended up the series round victor when qualifying points were
added to the series registered drivers total points for the weekend.

The 25 year old former Development V8 Supercar and truck racer put his
Nulon / One Steel XR8 Falcon on pole and was the class of the field all
weekend, shaking up established drivers such as Elsegood, Baxter and
Crambrook.

"This is amazing, I can't say enough about this category and this event.
The V8 Ute people have made me feel so welcome all weekend. I can't wait
for the year ahead, it's going to be sensational," grinned the round
victor.

Second overall for the weekend (Championship wise) was Jesus All About
Life XR8 Falcon driver Andrew "Fishtail" Fisher with Elsegood flying
under the radar all weekend to record third in his Coopers Clear XR8
Falcon.

The inaugural "Decade of door-to-door racing Legends Race" was every bit
as tumultuous as predicted with some frenzied on-track and in-pit action
during the safety car influenced driver change event finale.

A massive crash involving Tasmanian Tim Shaw brought out the safety
car for the second time in the 12-lap final when the #26 NRW SS Holden
clipped a tyre bundle at the entry to the turn one chicane and crashed
hard into the concrete wall.

The once-pristine SS Holden erupted into flames as it bounced off the
wall and slid down the track into a further concrete barrier.

Shaw escaped serious injury in what was a frightening crash.

The frenetic pit activity when the driver change was effected reached
fever pitch as 32 V8 Utes crammed into pit lane and hurried back out to
regain positions.

The first safety car situation occurred when Gary "the Boss" MacDonald
made contact with Grant Johnson, unfortunately rendering both cars out
of the event and in the process taking another series front-runner Kim
Jane in the Bob Jane T-Marts / Adrenaline SS Holden.

For the most though, considering the pace at which the race was run and
the pit lane activity the speed and spectacle of the "Legends" race was
memorable to say the least.

When the safety car came out for the Tim Shaw crash on Lap 9 the rest of
the race ended under caution and with that the chequers fell first on
the Jesus Falcon of Rick Bates and Andrew Fisher.

Trailing them home in second place was the George Miedecke / Jeremy
Gray combination ahead of Layton Crambrook / Mal Rose in third but the
excitement for Crambrook was short-lived as the Ice-Break team were
unfortunately handed a 25 second penalty post-race for overlapping at
the first safety car restart.

Fourth car home was the father and son combination of Colin and Ben Dunn
(a career best result for both) with another personal best for Peter
Burnitt (CNW Electrical) and Chris Pither coming home in fifth.

Sixth across the line was "Captain" Rob Jarvis (yet another personal
best) and his team-mate Tim Leahey in the BVC XR8 Falcon  no doubt
the presence of their grid girls The Sunny Cowgirls proved a positive
luck factor in the team's result.

Jarvis also picked up the SS Inductions Hard Charger Award for his
trouble, making up thirteen positions in Race Two.

Rounding out the top ten was Gary Carson and Marcus Zukanovic in the
SelecTV Falcon in seventh  Carson also picked up the Champion
Spark Plugs Holeshot Award for his lightning start  Dave Sieders
and Colin Barrett in eighth (Nulon / One Steel XR8) Craig Dontas and
Leanne Tander.

Dontas charged from position #22 to #12 to give his team-mate Tander a
legitimate shot at a top ten and she didn't disappoint.

Paul Williams and James Brock claimed eleventh across the line in the
GBF Mining Equipment SS Holden ahead of the iseek Falcon of Jason
Gomersall and Olympic Gold Medallist Steven "Doina" Bradbury in twelfth,
Warren "Wake Up" Millett and Matt "Spacer" Holt were thirteenth in the
Wake Up Holden. In fourteenth was Scott "Slamboy" Jennings and Paul "The
Dude" Morris in the Samboy Chips Holden, Jack Elsegood and Andrew "Mad
Andy" Miedecke in the Coopers Clear Falcon, Gary "Chuckie" Baxter and
Cameron "Conkers" McConville in the Sage Automation / HMNS Holden, Steve
"Spanna" Hodges and Matt "The Phantom" Lockwood in the ISRI Truck Seats
Holden, Ryal "The Kid" Harris and Andrew "Sarge" Schultz in the Barnacle
Bills SS, Brad "Packers" Patton and Robbie "Mad Man" Maddison in the DC
Shoes Falcon and George "Hollywood" Elliot and Marshall Brewer in the
Vittoria Coffee SS Holden rounding out the top twenty.

Robbie Maddison proved a real hit with spectators and rivals alike,
particularly when he performed a back flip off the bonnet of the XR8
Falcon before he swapped with Brad Patton.